Bike for commute to work - £200 budget

underhanded · 30 October 2013 at 4:36PM

Hi,

I've recently acquired a new job around 4 miles from my home in the city of Bristol, so have decided that cycling to work is my best option. I've cycled before in Bristol (to and from uni) so no the roads, and its generally a cycle friendly city, so am keen to get going. My last bike, was bought for £20 off Gumtree, and as I'm sure you can imagine, was rubbish. The wheell actually fell off whilst I was cycling, and after a quick inspection from a cycle-savvy friend, was deemed a piece of junk that didn't deserve to be repaired!

So what I'm looking for this time around is a good quality, reliable, functionable bike, with a budget of around £200. I'm going to be cycling on roads (a few hills -its bristol) and wouldn't mind taking the bike for occasional treks to Bath etc, so think Hybrid style bike is best for me (not full on road, or chunky mountainbike) I know this is hard to come by (judging from internet research) and that its hard to get a good bike for £400, let alone £200. I am currently enquiring with my current employer is they qualify for the cycle to work scheme, if they do, I guess that means the RRP of the bike could be around £250. I'd also need accessories, but I would only need lights, lock and helmet, and think I can get these all for around £30.

Does anyone have any suggestions of bikes that would fit what I've asked for? Failing that, can any Bristolians recommend a good shop to deal with (I live near to Halfords, and have heard bad things)

Thanks

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[Deleted User] · 30 October 2013 at 4:45PM

I was very happy with my Giant Cypress hybrid before it was pinched. You can pick them up second hand for sub-£200. I used it around Cardiff and its hills. It had an upright riding position that I liked

underhanded · 30 October 2013 at 6:07PM

Thanks, that sort of moves me onto my next question. Buying second hand seems to be a good way to go, some big name brands/nice looking price for a decent price. However I'm wary of possible dodgy deals/stolen bikes etc, and as I'm not really a bike person feel I could pick up a dud without realising? Is there any trusted 2nd hand bike outlets people could recommend? Whats the vital things to check/look out for on a second hand bike.

Just checked that model- looks good and thats the type of bike I'd ideally go for - obviously shopping second hand though its more of a case of selecting from whats out there.

I found these on Gumtree, am I on the right track in terms of quality?

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/carrerra-subway-8-perfect-commuter-bike/1036936216

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/gt-hybrid-bicyle/1036571713

andrewf75 · 30 October 2013 at 6:12PM

I would go to a "proper" cycle shop i.e not Halfords, Cycle King or similar, they will have a few new bikes in that price range and probably some second hand.
But don't fall for the cheap bikes sold by the likes of Cycle King. They can be a write-off after a year.

Johnmcl7 · 30 October 2013 at 6:19PM

Do you still have your cycle savvy friend around at all?

I was going to suggest having a look at Gumtree as your budget would get you a much better bike and there's plenty out there with good parts and in great condition that people have bought with the intention of cycling and never got into it.

My commuting bike is very similar to that Carrera one in that it has a Nexus 8 rear hub and rear drum brake, I bought it as it seemed a good low maintenance bike for commuting. Generally it's been very good although the catch with the gear hub is that while it's very low maintenance, when it fails it can be a pain to sort out. It's also quite heavy which can be noticeable climbing hills but quite manageable unless you're only climbing steep hills.

The drum brakes are good in thatt they offer consistent braking in all weather conditions but they're not as responsive as other brakes, they have a very spongey feel (I have a disc on the front so not sure how two drum brakes would be).

John

mandragora_2 · 30 October 2013 at 6:24PM

There's an Evans in Bristol, and they deal with Cycle to work - your £200 would then be worth the £200 & whatever your taxable rate is and your NIC amount - so adding another about 32% to 42% roughly - there's a table here that explains it:
http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/employers/employer-faqs

Evans are very good for being price-competitive, and carry a reasonable range in stock. However, I would give them a somewhat mixed review, having just bought a bike from there. Deal - fab. Customer service and follow-up, indifferent.

thelawnet · 30 October 2013 at 6:56PM

£200 is not much for a new bike really.

This is £270 and very decent value

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mens-nework-5-id_8222609.html

WatsonNimrod · 31 October 2013 at 12:20PM

I'm not sensing a lot of love for Halfords, but they do stock some decent kit if you are on a budget.

I was in a similar position to you a few years back with a similar budget, I bought a Carrera Subway for about £229, but I took it away and built it myself (I had heard conflicting reports about the service) and with no experience whatsoever put it together with a tutorial on youtube.

My daily commute was Bath - Bristol on the cycle path (a bit like the M25 of cycle paths!!) so about 30m round trip and the Subway was a workhorse, I also didn't mind it being left lying around as it doesn't look worth nicking, but it never once let me down in a year of doing the journey in all weathers.

Not exactly the same, but this might be worth a look as its got an extra 10% off....

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_992068_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

Avoriaz · 31 October 2013 at 2:16PM

underhanded wrote: »

a cycle-savvy friend

So what I'm looking for this time around is a good quality, reliable, functionable bike, with a budget of around £200.

You will get far more bike for your money second hand than new, even with the CTW scheme.

A lot of people are getting on the post Olympics and Tour de France cycling bandwagon, buying expensive new bikes, riding them a few times, giving up and selling them on Ebay. *

That means there are bargains out there for savvy buyers.

I'm 61 and have recently got back into cycling for the first time since my teenage years. I knew nothing about bikes a few months ago but have learnt a lot by googling and reading cycling forums etc.

Have a good look on Ebay and Gumtree and see if your cycle-savvy friend can advise you.

With a bit of luck, care and common sense you could get an almost new £400 bike for £200 or less.

Avoid cheap brands and supermarket bikes and stick with respected brands such as Ridgeback, Trek, Specialised, Giant, Marin, Boardman etc.

Good luck.

* Be aware that you could be one of those people. You may hate commuting by bike and go back to car or public transport so don't splash out on a new bike that you might be selling for half the price in a few months.

You could buy a cheapish but decent bike second hand and then upgrade in a few months if you take to cycling or resell it for much the same money of you don't.

SailorSam · 31 October 2013 at 2:22PM

If you were thinking of going down the second hand route but worried it might be stolen, what about looking at Police auctions. Even if it was stolen thy could hardly come back on you.

http://www.police-auctions.org.uk/index.htm

Avoriaz · 31 October 2013 at 3:29PM

Here are two bikes on Ebay that might suit you.

I don't know what frame size you need so you need to establish that before buying

Trek 7.5 FX

I bought this less than a couple years ago. I had SKS mud guards fitted with the intention to commute. It's been sat in the garage for the most part having ridden less than a dozen times!

That auction has 3 days to run. It is currently at £103 and may well go a lot higher than £200 but you never know.

It is a large frame so you need to be over 6 foot.

Ridgeback Rapide Comet

Ridgeback rapid comet, Mens Hybrid bike almost new.
Used twice & injury forces sale
£350 new

That auction ends tomorrow. It has a starting price of £200 with no bids and will possibly not get any bids as that is probably too high a starting price.

A bid of £200 might win it but my advice is not to bid as you are not in a hurry. Send this message:

Hi, I'm interested in this bike but I like to see a bike before bidding. What size is the frame? If it doesn't sell I would like to visit to examine it and make you a cash offer if I like it.

If the seller responds, then visit with your friend if possible. If you like the bike offer something like £170 cash for it. The seller would have paid about £30 in Ebay and Paypal fees so that is a decent offer.

Bike for commute to work - £200 budget

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